The Sun enters the Knot — Austin Coppock’s name for the third decan of Aquarius — on 8 February 2025 at 7:35 am EST, and remaining there until 18 February at 5:07 am EST (making nine days, 21 hours and 32 minutes). Associated with the Moon’s administration, this decan was associated in ancient times with the Egyptian god Osiris (as worshipped by Greek-speaking visitors and inhabitants of Egypt, rather than by the Egyptians themselves, which is a complicated distinction to make). It’s associated with the Seven of Wands in Tarot, and T. Susan Chang called this decan The Divided Mind, and associated it with the Greek hero Odysseus — who illustrates quite well the complexities we face when trying to do too many things at once, or not putting in sufficient effort in one project.

I tend to associate The Knot with a story told of Alexander the Great, king of Macedonia and founder of a “Hellenic empire” between 334 and 322 BCE. Visiting the city of Gordium in Phrygia, (now the small community of Yassihuyuk in modern-day Turkey, about 50 miles southwest of Ankara), he encountered an intricate knot that tied a wagon to a hitching post in the sacred precinct; legend held that whoever untied the knot would become the supreme ruler of all of Asia.

Alexander drew his sword, and cut through the knot with a single blow.

OK, that’s an A+ for style, but a D- for actual effort put in — which is kind of par for the course for Alexander, really? He successfully upended or destroyed each and every legal and technical system he encountered, that might have been used for holding the realms of Asia together as a single empire. But he replaced these systems with nothing that outlived him. Metaphorically speaking, the strong and complicated knot of interlocking realms and provinces he conquered were haphazardly turned into a shambles of pieces — string too short to save, as it were — and nothing of the rope could be used to bind up Asia into a lasting dynastic entity.

The Moon administering this decan under the authority of Saturn’s rulership points to a complex set of relationships between the excellence that arises from the steadying hand of an older and experienced leader, and the fast and limited attention found in the young student. Most of the decan aligns with the 26th Mansion of the Moon, the Upper Spout — a part of the Moon’s course associated with favorably loving relationships and safe travel as well as successful construction… but also aligned with both harsh incarceration and cruelty to captives. The Knot can bind us together, but it also risks cutting off circulation — and cutting it can reveal, all too easily, that what is unleashed is not always so easy to re-harness.

Osiris (in the Greco-Egyptian mythic tradition anyway) of course is the king of the underworld. Doomed to reign in the lower realms as a result of his betrayal by his brother Set, who drowned him and carved him into thirteen pieces — Osiris rules over an afterlife that looks remarkably like the duringlife, where people tend to dwell in a ghostly existence not unlike the world above: scenes on tomb walls show duck-hunting and farming, grain-grinding and dancing. And yet there’s a studied, emotionless rigidity to it; this is Egyptian art, after all, and everyone walks about sideways with big eyes and deliberate gestures. Somehow, Osiris feels appropriate: under his rulership we go through the motions of life at this time of year, trying to awaken ourselves to new possibilities even when we feel dead.

The dodeks of Aquarius III are Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, and Capricorn. Together, they tell a story of the successful merchant weighing his options. Realizing that his secret desires are not likely to be fulfilled by his current business model, he starts putting his thumb on the scale, and otherwise engages in technical chicanery and all-too-human fraud to fulfill his wants. Soon, his treasury is bursting with wealth, but obtained through duplicitous means.

House Delineations

The First House of self and self-presentation is Pisces, ruled by squaring Jupiter in Gemini, but hosting both Saturn and Neptune, as well as the North Node. It will be easy to let your imagination run riot for another few weeks or so — but you should hold on to certain factual truths about your real-world situation, like health and housing, wardrobe and food. It’s a time to draw more resources to yourself, too, like shelter and sleep, and be almost religiously fanatical about maintaining your “outward” and “inward” facing selves: who gets to see the living you? Who receives only the mask? It’s a time for holding back from public-facing personas.

The Second House of wealth and possessions is Aries, ruled by squaring Mars retrograde in Cancer and hosting Venus. Some of your hobbies (or routine plans for your kids) may go by the wayside as you decide who is welcome (and who isn’t) in your hearth and garth. Those are some of the few things you have control over, but you may have to burn some resources to do it. Sharpen the knife before you do your budget-cutting exercises, though, and remember that beauty, joy and connection to others are an essential part of your financial experience. If you have to burn your material wealth to make ends meet, make sure you enjoy the beauty and warmth while it lasts..

The Third House of extended family and neighbors is Taurus, ruled by inconjunct Venus in Aries and hosting Uranus in the decan of The Prayer Beads; Mars retrograde and the Moon both lend uneven, tenuous support from the sextile. Expect that some of your closest relationships with relatives and friends may be disrupted or go through some turbulence; local errand-running may be complicated by new self-imposed restrictions on resources or time.

The Fourth House of house and home is Gemini, ruled by trining Mercury and hosting Jupiter. Your household should be a place of debate and discourse in the next ten days, but imagine it as an oval table instead of a courtroom; and imagine that discussions are moderated by a just and humane arbitrator who wants the best outcome for all, rather than a punitive judge at a high bench waiting for a chance to sentence someone to hard time. The best solutions are compromises, remember, in which all parties get some portion of what they believe is right and proper. In this environment, though, you may have to think about what’s best for the others at the table rather than just your own individual desires — and find contentment in the household rather than in your own advancement.

The Fifth House is the place of pleasures and pastimes, but also our own children (and sometimes our relationships with kids in general). It’s Cancer in this chart, ruled by and hosting the Moon in the Eighth Mansion — a place of humane strategy and animal cunning. Since Cancer is currently hosting Mars and thus demonstrating some risk to the kids in your life, or injury while you’re engaged in athletic contests or power-lifting or fun), it’s worth dialing back on your more hard-core behavior, and talking to your kids more directly.

The Sixth House of daily routines and employees is Leo, ruled by the opposing Sun in Aquarius in the 12th house. Loneliness and isolation will be strongly felt emotions in the next ten days as you try to perform your usual functions to the best of your ability. In your secret heart, you may feel like you are simply going through the motions, and that what you’re working on or how you’re managing your staff is simply meaningless. This gnostic insight will pass, but it would be good to write about the experience now, and make use of it later on when things change again.

The Seventh House of relationships is Virgo, ruled by inconjunct Mercury and hosting the South Node. Relationship issues are likely to be analyzed and talked to death, with old problems dragged up and revived in ways that show your partners and peers’ inadequacies. BUT — be aware that this is a temporary situation, and largely subjective!! Do not break off an otherwise successful partnership because your spouse or significant other disappoints you in some way this week, and do not heap scorn on them! Instead of burying them, take up the slack in their lives and help them manage.

The Eighth House of odious labors is Libra, ruled by opposing Venus in Aries, and hosting the lunar apogee (usually known as Black Moon Lilith). Everyone wants your money this week, and expects you to just hand it over. But there’s some benefit to breaking the chains that bind and not doing the normal things. It’s been observed that powerful people, both good and bad, often know that there’s a rule, written or unwritten, that is supposed to prevent you from doing whatever you want. But if there’s no consequences to breaking that rule, then the rule is not actually real. And there’s a lot of people shouting these days, “do not obey in advance!” But maybe this is also a time to stop obeying some of the alleged rules in your life that have never been real?

The Ninth House of learning, religion and travel is Scorpio, ruled by trining Mars (who is retrograde and in fall). OK — so airport delays, stupid bureaucratic paperwork from your college registrar, and a terrible speech from your priest or rabbi should be expected. And yet you should remember the Biblical warning that some have entertained angels unawares in these spaces — patience and deliberateness untangles more knots in the red tape; and you’ll make secret allies from enemies by treating your bureaucratic gatekeepers as desirable plants in your garden — worthy of tending and nourishing for your mutual benefit. Your words and phrases can be a weapon, but it may also be a key that unlocks the right doors and pulls back the velvet rope, “right this way.”

The Tenth House of career and reputation is Sagittarius, ruled by opposing Jupiter in Gemini. Great career achievements are unlikely to occur in the next ten days, but important conversations and situations ARE arising in your home and family life. It’s the old adage, nobody ever died wishing they spent more time at the office, come to life — go home, have dinner with your housemates, or your spouse, or even your cat or goldfish. There’s tremendous value to be had in working just to your written, contractual expectations and not to some vague set of unwritten cultural standards — See Eighth House, above, about breaking some minor rules, and see what you can get away with… and remember to set your priorities in the appropriate part of your life.

The Eleventh House of allies and associates is Capricorn, ruled by sextile Saturn in Pisces. It’s worthwhile to think about gathering some friends for dinner, to watch a movie, or to enjoy a board game together. Capricorn often represents storing or laying up treasures and resources for future hardship, and there’s something of that exact meaning in this placement. Yet consider that you are, yourself, the storehouse of this shared time with others — you are laying up treasures in and for yourself, a set of memories that cannot be taken from you. A friend of mine has a little cupboard labeled Emergency Chocolate, and it’s never empty: take the time to refill your emergency cache with treasured good time with friends.

The Twelfth House of obstacles, challenges, and opportunities is Aquarius, ruled by inconjunct Saturn in Pisces and hosting the Sun, Mercury, and Pluto. Where Capricorn is about storing and holding for later, Aquarius is about releasing and using what was stored. Look around your space: what were you saving for later, but now you’re tripping over? What is the good stuff that you laid up in the past for some better moment? The better moment has arrived: put the materials and resources you’ve accumulated to work and use them to help yourself flourish in a changed time.

Horoscopes by Rising Sign

Decan I of any sign (usually covering the 21st of the month to the first of the following month) is free to all visitors; Decan II is only available to Patreon and Ko-Fi.com subscribers; and Decan III is available to Patreon, Ko-Fi, and MailChimp subscribers.

I recommend reading your Sun sign, Moon sign, and Rising sign for best results. I write them with rising sign in mind, but several people have told me they find that they do better with all three.

Pisces:

Aries:

Taurus:

Gemini:

Cancer:

Leo:

Virgo:

Libra:

Scorpio:

Sagittarius:

Capricorn:

Aquarius:

Colophon

You can hire me for a consultation.

I have a Patreon account for those who want to support this column as it starts its sixth year. Those funds support artists, artisans and thinkers that I regard as contributing to the well-being of the world. You can also buy me a Ko-fi in $3 increments; any column I write after receiving a Ko-Fi donation will be open to the public). .

If you want to read some of my astrologically-oriented poetry, the largest collection is called A Full Volume of Splendor and Starlight, available through my Etsy shop, and containing poems and hymns to the planets, constellations, decan deities, and Moon Mansion angels. While not astrological, Festae contains hymns to some of the older Roman gods and spirits from the calendar created by Numa Pompilius, the second ancient King of Rome.

I use iPhemeris for my charting software, and screenshot it to make charts. I want to thank the team that develops iPhemeris for the addition of Terms and Decans to their charts. I also use Hugh Tran‘s Physis typeface to craft logos for this blog, as well.

I use Christopher Warnock‘s The Mansions of the Moon as the basis of my Moon placement delineations, and Austin Coppock‘s 36 Faces for much of my planetary delineations. Neither gentleman endorses me.